Dax'livan: Origins
by Kool3r
Summary: Story based on my primary character, as well as characters from my sessions played with friends. This acts as a set-up for future writings I am hoping to begin soon. All named characters are owned by myself and my friends from my D&D sessions. Fun(?) fact: Portions of this story is my turning a handful of our actual sessions into written form.


**The Underdark**

Dax'livan Naerth stepped slowly through the darkness of the uneven stone tunnel that surrounded him. He glanced around, careful of his footing as he moved. He had been in the Underdark for only a few days and it had already been one of the most difficult things he'd ever done. He glanced downward ahead of himself, noting his panther companion, Zadira. The creature blended almost perfectly with the darkness around them. He stopped momentarily, looking behind him and then proceeded forward once again. His mind was racing, two thoughts always circling his thoughts. First, he was being followed by something. He was unsure where it was, but occasionally he felt tremors in the tunnels, moving all around him, as if something was carving a path around and ahead of him. Second, he was being watched by someone or something. This was different from whatever was following him. He could feel that he was being followed, but this sensation of being watched felt almost as if some sort of strange magic was on him. Like someone was staring directly over his shoulder, yet there was no one there. Sometimes, this feeling would suddenly vanish, but after minutes or even hours later, it returned.

Dax continued, trying to push the unnerving thoughts to the back of his mind. He reached out with his right hand, running his palm along the narrow wall to his right. It was rough and unnatural, like most of the tunnels he'd passed through since entering the Underdark. He stopped, as once again he felt the strange tremors around him. After they subsided, he moved forward once more, until the small tunnel opened into a larger cavern. Darkness filled this room just as much as the previous tunnel, and Dax's limited darkvision was beginning to irritate the young Half-Drow. Despite being from a race that is known for having excellent vision in the dark, he had spent his life on the surface. Darkness made him feel far less Drow than he was. _'Go back'_, Dax heard a voice speak from in his head. The voice was gentle and more beautiful than any other voice he'd heard. _'Do not g…'_ the voice began to speak again, but it suddenly stopped, as he heard a rumble in the rock far above him. Chunks of rock fell from above where he could see in the darkness as he suddenly felt once again as he had when he had been followed previously. He pulled his longbow from over his shoulder and removed an arrow from his quiver, pointing it up as he looked for whatever was above him. Zadira let out a low growl, looking away from his master. Dax looked down, noting his companion was looking away from them, but not up above. From the distance, he could hear heavy footsteps, moving slowly toward them, as well as the sound of metal on rock. He glanced up as suddenly a burst of bright light shot from above. A blue beam of energy had appeared and shot straight down at him. He released his arrow just before the beam struck him in the chest, and he heard the quiet sound of his arrow striking something fleshy, followed by a loud angry roar that echoed throughout the cavern and the tunnel behind him.

Without any hesitation, Dax turned and started to run further into the cavern, Zadira moving ahead of him. His own steps were suddenly sluggish, and he felt as if he had no stamina in his body. He glanced above, and back ahead again. Whatever creature was above him was far out of his sight in the darkness. He pulled out another arrow and held it ready to fire ahead. He saw a large form enter his sight and released, watching as his arrow hit its mark. His target continued toward them, raising a large axe into the air. Dax slowly pulled out another arrow as Zadira pounced at the creature, biting and clawing at it. The creature lifted a heavy foot and kicked the panther away from itself with little difficulty. It let out a bellowing roar before charging toward the Half-Drow. Dax released the arrow, watching as it entered the large open mouth of the creature, which slowed and slumped to the ground, with a massive loud crash, which shook the rock beneath their feet. _'Run. Go back'_ the mysterious voice once again spoke in Dax's mind. Ignoring it, he stepped closer to the fallen enemy, briefly checking his surroundings.

It was quiet once again and he felt alone, save for Zadira and the creature laying at his feet. He crouched down and observed the large body. Its green skin was covered in scars, many of which appeared to have been capable of having been fatal. He grasped the arrow and pulled it out of the corpse. He turned and started walking away, but spun around as he heard movement only to find the creature had gotten up to its knees. Dax raised his bow, but was too slow to fire before a large fist crashed into his outstretched arm, shattering his bow. The creature grasped Dax by the throat and lifted him easily from the ground. He struggled, trying to free himself as Zadira leapt onto the creature and knocked it to the ground, biting and tearing at its face. He grasped the hilt of the black sickle at his side and swung it down, shattering it on the skull of the creature. Staring momentarily at the broken weapon, he raised it and then drove it into the side of the creature's skull, barely forcing it through.

After a few seconds, the creature released Dax and he stepped back. "It was dead. How did it get back up?" he panted quietly in the darkness. _'Use fire. Burn it'_, he once again heard the calm voice speak in his mind. He looked at the wound in the skull he had left and saw it was starting to close. Quickly, he pulled a couple small vials of oil from the leather pouch on his belt and poured them on the creature. He also pulled out a striking stone and struck it with the broken sickle, throwing sparks onto the oil, setting the creature on fire. He watched as the flames grew larger, lighting up the cavern.

'_The Beholder. Run, before it comes...'_ the voice started, cutting out as he heard a loud growl above him. He turned and looked up, now seeing the large round creature floating high above him. In its center was a massive single eye, and ten stalks attached around the body, each with its own eye on the end, twitching and looking all around it, and a massive open mouth, filled with dozens of sharp teeth. Many of the eyes were looking all around the room, but the main eye, as well as a few others were focused intently on him. Two of the eyes began to glow before firing a green and blue beam. Dax instinctively raised his left arm while attempting to dodge the green beam, which struck his hand. He rolled to the side as the blue beam shot past his body and struck Zadira. He looked first at the panther, which slumped to the ground, growling angrily as it struggled against the magical paralysis. He then looked at his left arm in horror as he watched it begin to disintegrate upward from his hand, stopping just above the elbow. He turned back toward the large floating eye as another blue beam fired and struck him in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

He struggled to move, unable to do so. He lay watching as the creature began to float down toward him, it's large gaping mouth moving closer. Knowing he was moments from death, he began to regret his choice to venture unprepared into the Underdark, despite all warnings he'd ever heard of the dangers. A jet-black beam fired at him, and he watched as the black form of Zadira, having broken free of the magical paralysis, jumped in front of him taking the beam directly. Zadira collapsed to the ground with a low rumble, falling silent as his life left him. Dax watched, unable to act, his eyes turned toward the burning troll as a bright flash of light erupted a few feet from it, watching as four people appeared from nowhere. A tall bluish-gray skinned woman with long white hair and white robes immediately began running toward him while three others charged toward the floating creature. At the front, a heavily armored man with a large shield and mace rushed the creature, flanked by a bald man in chainmail with two large swords, and an elderly woman in blue robes with a long staff, a bright blue flame burning at its tip. Dax's final sight was the white-haired woman kneeling beside him, her bright red eyes staring at him as she began muttering words he could not understand, but her voice was the same calm voice he had heard many times in his mind. Thoughts of his past began to fill his mind, his eyes closing as darkness overtook him and he lost consciousness.

**Beginnings and Betrayals**

There was darkness, followed shortly by a light of absolute brilliance. The sun burned high in the sky above, many trees providing shade from it. Within the shade at the base of a large tree was a small wooden bench, and upon it sat a tall, dark grey skinned woman with long pointed ears. She had long white hair, bright orange eyes, and wore a light blue dress with a white shawl. Her name was Hylia Naerth, and in her lap, was a small child who by appearance looked to be about four years old. His skin was of a light grey complexion, and his ears were also pointed like hers, but were shorter and slightly more rounded like a human. His hair was also white, but short and messy. His head was resting on her chest, and he seemed to be sleeping.

The boy stirred to the sound of the woman's gentle singing. After a moment he looked up at her, blinking his golden eyes, smiling as she smiled down at him as she continued to sing. He laid his head back down onto her chest, returning to sleep as her voice comforted him. After some time, she finished her song. She placed a free hand down onto a large standing stone beside the bench, running her fingertips across the top of it. Upon the stone was the name 'Daxon Rein'. She smiled once more, pulling the child closer to her, lifting him as she stood to her feet. Adjusting his positioning in her arms, moving him so his head was now resting on her shoulder, his arms wrapped around her as much as they could with his small size, she began walking through the trees. As she approached the edge of the trees and the shade they offered, she pulled the shawl over her head and slowly stepped into the light, allowing her eyes time to adjust slightly to the incoming light. She was a Drow, and their race was not fond of the brightness of light, as it made it a struggle to see with their vision, which was much better suited to the darkness of night. Most Drow lived underground, specifically in a place known as the Underdark. Some, however, chose to live on the surface despite the strain of the light and the hatred and distrust toward them from other surface races.

After her eyes had adjusted, she moved out of the trees. Before her stood a small farm community. Several small homes stood in a large area, each surrounded by crops, deep wells, and a few tall trees throughout. The homes weren't identical, but they were crafted from the same materials. Thick lumbers making up the walls and structuring, with thatch roofing on each of them. As she walked toward her home, she looked around occasionally as she saw other villagers. She always smiled at them, though none smiled in return. She had never felt welcome, but the other people had at least made no move to have her leave after the death of her husband several years back, as he had been well loved in the community despite having married a Drow. As she approached her home, an elderly woman stepped out of it, staring at her unpleasantly. She smiled at the woman, her mother-in-law, Gunda, as she passed in silence, ignoring the look of disgust the woman gave her. Hylia stopped momentarily, looking back to watch as the woman disappeared around the corner. She let out a gentle sigh before turning back into the house. She made her way through the home, down a short hallway and into a small room with two beds in it, one much smaller than the other. She placed the sleeping child onto his bed, leaning down to kiss him on his forehead, before leaving the room.

A few hours later, loud shouts and screams sudden broke out in the small community. Loud crashing, followed by shrieks of pain and terror from the other villagers could be heard. "Demons! DEMONS!" Hylia heard Gunda shouting as she came back around the corner a hurried pace. "In, in quickly" she moved into the home, forcing Hylia in ahead of her.

Terrified, Hylia watched the woman as she was escorted further into the home and into the room with her son, who had woken to the screams outside. She grabbed the boy and held him tightly in her arms, trying to quiet him as he had begun to cry "Quiet now, Dax. I'll keep you safe" she smiled as he started to calm down. She sat the boy back down on his bed and turned her back to him as she heard the front door crash in. She glanced over at Gunda, who for the slightest moment had a grin on her face, before she looked away toward the door to the bedroom. "You…" Hylia growled at the woman as a large, green skinned and large muscled figure turned the corner into the room. She raised her right arm, waving it through the air before extending two fingers toward the Orc who just entered the room, a beam of icy blue energy shot from her fingers and struck the orc. She watched as the creature froze solid and fell, shattering across the floor. She began to wave her other arm as another entered the room, followed by a human man, but they had moved in too quickly. The orc swung his arm at the woman, his fist striking the side of her face, easily knocking her to the floor. She looked up in horror as she watched the human grab her screaming son, effortlessly carrying him out of the room. "No!" she shrieked, raising her arm to cast another spell, but the orc grabbed her wrist and jerked her off the floor, twisting her arms behind her. She watched helplessly as she was forced through the doorway, looking back at Gunda who was now grinning victoriously at her.

As she was forced out of her home she looked around the small village. The sun had begun to set, and darkness had begun to cover the community. However, it was lit bright as most of the homes were engulfed in fires. Around her on the ground were the bodies of the other villagers whom had been slaughtered, and standing all around were numerous humans and orcs, all decently armored, and none looked injured. Gunda ran outside and stopped in horror, seeing the massacre and ran to one of the humans "This wasn't part of the deal. You were only supposed to take these demons" she shouted, pointing at Hylia and Dax. "You told me if I made sure they were easy to get to, that you'd make it worth my while. You weren't supposed to kill everyone."

The human looked at the woman in annoyance and pulled a dagger out, and in one quick motion ran it across the woman's throat, watching as she crumpled to the ground. He crouched down by the woman now bleeding out in front of him "Why would we pay you for these creatures, when we can just take them, and make so much more selling them ourselves" he laughed. "Besides, I have no sympathy for anyone who would sell their family. I'd do a lot for money, but even I wouldn't sell out my own family."

Hylia watched, unable to move as her mother-in-law was murdered in front of her. Despite having been betrayed by the woman, she felt bad watching her die in such a horrible way. She watched as the man quickly approached her. He walked around, looking her over for several seconds "Not bad, not bad. This one will fetch a good price. The boy might get us a bit, but this is the true prize."

The orc holding Hylia spoke something in an unfamiliar language, nodding to another behind the human. The man turned around just as the orc behind him swung a jet-black sickle through his neck, his body falling as his head hit the ground, rolling away from his lifeless corpse. All around, the orcs all turned on the humans. Within seconds, they had slaughtered all the humans, who now lay in the dirt with the villagers. The chief orc laughed and passed Hylia off to another, looking down at the human on the ground before him. He let out a merciless laugh and turned away, looking to Dax who was now crying loudly, his mother screaming for her child "Shut them up, and get them loaded into the carts, and burn everything else" he shouted in his Orcish language, watching as both Drow were knocked unconscious with little effort and taken to the caged carts.

**Captivity**

Dax woke suddenly to the loud noises around him. Sounds of wolves growling and snarling, and dozens of orcs shouting in a language unfamiliar to him. He looked around panicked, and felt a gentle grasp take hold of him. He looked back as his mother pulled him against her, tightly wrapping her arms around him. She was not smiling as he normally saw her, and this scared him even more. More Orcish shouts echoed around them and he heard the cage they were held in open, and he was pulled from his mother's grip. He was crying in pain as the orcs made no effort to be gentle, and he could hear his mothers' shouts for her child as he was pulled away from her. He watched as she, along with dozens of other captives were removed from numerous other caged carts and were drug across the ground toward a small forge. All around, orcs laughed as the wolves circled the group of slaves, forcing them all closer to the fire. He watched as an orc nearest the forge pulled a long bar from it. Attached to the end of it was a piece of metal in a shape like a half moon, with five curved points around the side. The metal was glowing orange from the heat. He watched in horror as more orcs dragged a man toward the forge and tore his shirt from him before pressing the burning metal into his forearm. Dax jumped at the scream of agony he heard from the man as his flesh was burned and branded with the curved symbol, which he saw each of the orcs around also had on themselves.

This continued as the orcs drug each of their new slaves to the forge one after the other. Each person let out agonizing screams as they were branded, some on the arm, some on the chest, and some on the back. The location seemed to differ depending on which cart they had been pulled from upon arrival at the slavers' camp. The next few slaves, taken from the same cart as Dax and his mother, let out even louder screams as they were branded on the left side of their face, the curved steel burning into their skin around their eye. He watched as most of the next few lost consciousness from the pain and shock of the metal burning into their faces. Dax's attention turned to his mother when he felt her pulled away from him. He shouted, reaching for her as he was pulled back as she was drug toward the forge. The orcs laughter roared louder as the boy cried for his mother. The orc moved the burning metal toward the woman's face but stopped at the sudden shout from the orc chief who had been watching nearby. The chief spoke in his unfamiliar language, pointing from Hylia to one of the slave groups who had been previously branded on their upper back. The orc with the branding steel nodded as the orc holding the woman tore her dress from her back, forcing her down to the ground as the burning steel was pressed into her back. Dax shouted and cried as he heard his mother scream out in pain as the metal was pulled away from her now burned flesh and she was dragged helplessly to the group of slaves whose brand was in the same location as hers.

Dax was next. He struggled as one orc easily carried him to the forge. The orc looked from the boy to his mother, who was shouting at them, despite the immense pain she was suffering. The orc then looked to the chief, who nodded, tapping the side of his face with his large hand. Dax watched helplessly as the orc in front of him turned back toward him and without hesitation, pressed the burning steel against his face. He shrieked as he felt the steel burn him, melting his flesh for what felt like minutes. After only seconds however, the orc pulled away. Everything around him grew dark as the screams from himself and his mother were drowned out by the laughing orcs. His eyes twitched around violently, watching his mother cry and scream helplessly for him, her own pain seeming insignificant for her compared to his own. His head felt heavy, as if it was being crushed between the orcs massive hands, and after a few more seconds of the searing pain in his face, he once again lost consciousness.

Dax now stood within a massive field, surrounded by row after row of many different crops. He looked around at his surroundings. Every direction he looked he could see multiple orcs and wolves watching him and the other slaves as they worked the field. He looked up at the sky, the sun burning bright above them. He raised an arm to his head, wiping sweat from his face before returning to work. It had been many years since he had been brought to this camp. There had been more camps before this one, but he'd been here the longest out of all his time as a slave to the orcs. He thought in his mind how long it had been. He struggled with keeping track of time, as doing so had only ever made his life seem more difficult. He had barely been twenty years old when he was taken, though in comparison with humans he had only appeared as if he were a small child. Even now being almost a century old, he barely looked twenty when compared to a human or another race who lives much shorter life spans compared to a Drow. He had grown taller over the many decades of slavery, but he remained thin as he was constantly worked in the fields. He wore what looked like dirty rags for clothes. His shirt had several tears on the back and the visible flesh was heavily scarred. His pants were ragged and one leg on them was half torn off and his feet were bare and scarred.

He moved through the crops as the hours passed, listening to the nearby chatter of orcs and the growling of the wolves. Most of the slaves feared the wolves, however Dax had no such fear. He enjoyed their company most days. He had an unnatural bond with them it seemed, as whenever one passed, it rubbed its furry body against him as it passed. Each time, he reached down and scratched at the neck of each passing wolf. His thoughts drifted to his mother, the hope of seeing her again being the only thing driving him to continue living. It had been nearly eighty years since he'd seen her. He had woken on the first day after having his face branded to find he'd been taken away from her and had not seen her since. "Get back to the camp, maggots" he heard an overseer shout in Orcish. He had picked up their language over his many years as their slaves, though he never once spoke it to them. He followed the overseers back to the camp. He looked around at the others, all of them were wearing ragged clothing like him, and most appeared exhausted. Some were old, but most were young. There were many from different races, but all of them had the same mark branded on their face.

Several hours passed and darkness had fallen on the camp. Dax looked around, seeing most of the slaves were sleeping, and to his surprise so was the overseer in the barn they slept in. He got to his feet and moved toward the orc. He stopped beside it and looked down at the wolf that was looking up at him, growling softly. He reached down and scratched the creature and looked back at the others, who had started to wake. Without a second thought he pulled the jet-black sickle slowly from the orcs loose grasp. He jumped as the orc suddenly woke, and without thinking he shoved the blade into the large orcs throat, blood splattering onto him from the wound. The wolf started growling again, but Dax once again pet the beast, causing it to stop. Pulling the blade from the dead orc, he looked one last time to the other slaves. They all seemed terrified of him. He was used to it. Even as a slave like them, they always feared him for being a Drow. After only a few seconds pause, he pet the wolf with one hand and ran the blade through it with his other "I'm sorry…" he whispered in Orcish, before turning away from the others and vanishing into the darkness, his light gray skin letting him blend almost perfectly with it. As he snuck through the camp, he tried avoiding any orcs and especially the wolves. Despite his usual fondness for them, he could not risk them alerting the overseers. After several minutes he had successfully made it to the edge of the camp without alerting anyone before he heard screams and horns sounding behind him. He started running, never once looking back. He knew the overseers would likely kill any slave who had stayed, but his only thought now was once again on his mother. He had given himself the chance he'd been seeking for decades. He was finally free, and now he could find her.

**The Lost Travelers**

Ten years had passed since Dax'livan had escaped from the orc slavers. He had spent almost the entirety of the last decade in the wilds, hunting and surviving while avoiding high population towns. Occasionally he would sneak into small villages and trading towns, looking and listening for any clue on the whereabouts of the other orc slave groups, but was never able to find anything promising. He had even ventured to the Underdark in search of other Drow, in the hopes of finding anyone who might have heard of his mother. This was the least successful journey he'd made since his escape. He had never previously learned of the history of the Drow, and quickly found that as not only a male, but also as a Half-Drow whose mother had loved and married a human, had he made his way into any Drow city he would have been taken into slavery by their matriarchal society within the Underdark. He had been lucky enough to stumble upon a small group of Drow in a hunting party near the entrance of the Underdark. The group had been all male, sent out to scavenge supplies. They had seen him from a distance, and with his thin build, loose fitting clothing and cloak that shrouded him in the darkness, they had mistaken him as female. He questioned them just enough to find no information on his mother or the orcs who held her before he returned to the surface.

Now a few months after giving up on the Underdark, he sat within the Ashenwood, a vast forest north of the nation of Thay, the Sunrise Mountains and Lake Mulsantir. He had been in the forest for only a few days after having snuck into the city of Immilmar, where he had stolen better fitting clothing, food and other small supplies to help him for an extended period of travel. His appearance was mostly the same. His hair was short, uneven and messy, looking like he had cut it himself to keep it from growing too long. He had grown slightly taller in the past few years but was still very thin. He sat with his back to a tree, a small fire burning in front of him. Darkness surrounded him in the dead of night, only the sound of night owls and loud insects could be heard. His thoughts focused only on where he would travel next in search of clues to his mother's location. He had heard of a small town to the northwest called Jiyyd. He'd followed travelers who spoke of traders who frequented that town, and decided he'd go there next. At some point in the night he eventually fell asleep against the tree.

"Do you think he's dead?" Dax heard a gentle female voice speak. He opened his eyes slowly and saw two figures sitting around the fire which was almost burned out. The sun was up in the sky, though they were cloaked by the treetops. He looked at the two female figures, remaining quiet as he examined what they were doing. His gaze was immediately drawn to the exceptionally attractive woman who had spoken, sitting on the ground near the fire. She appeared average in height, nearly the same as himself but with an athletic build, and she had long silvery hair with a slight platinum hue to it. She was wearing simple robes, light gray and white in color. She looked human and her skin was fair but had a slight luminescent look to it the longer he focused on it. His gaze was drawn to the woman's appearance, but he couldn't quite understand why. "Oh, he's definitely alive…and he's staring at me. Why are you staring?" the woman questioned curiously. She was holding a small chunk of bread, which he recognized as one of his own, and saw his travelling bag open on the ground beside the woman. "Gren, why's he staring at me?" she questioned, looking now at the other woman.

He could hear music and noticed another woman sitting on a nearby rock that might have been too small for someone of normal height, but this woman was a gnome, so the rock was the perfect size for her to sit on. Her head was shaven on both sides with exception of the top, where she had long raven black hair pulled into a single, long braid that hung over her shoulder. She had vibrant green eyes, and black hoop piercings on both sides of bottom lip, as well as her left nostril and two on her right eye brow. In her lap was a zither, a strange musical instrument which he had never seen or heard of before, but the small woman played it as if it were natural. "Everyone stares at you, Az. You tend to stand out a bit" the gnome woman spoke, her eyes fixed on her musical instrument. "Also, you did take his food. Maybe he was really looking forward to a boring meal" she continued plucking at the strings of her zither as she spoke.

Dax blinked, and looked back and forth between the two women. He got to his feet, sighing in annoyance. He pulled his longbow and quiver over his shoulder and picked up his bag from beside the silver haired woman and stepped on the remains of the fire, smothering it. Without a word he turned and started walking west through the trees. He looked back to see that the taller woman had jumped to her feet and was now following him, and slightly behind her the gnome had begun to follow as well. This went on for several minutes. "Why are you following me?" he questioned, annoyance in his voice.

"I'm not following you, I'm following Gren" the tall woman smiled as she followed him. "I'm Azriel, and this is Gren. You're an elf, right? You look like an elf, but a little…different" she said with slight hesitation, as if she briefly thought she'd offended him. She looked slightly annoyed when Dax didn't respond but kept moving on ahead of her.

"He's a Drow. A Dark-Elf. Pretty rare on the surface I hear" Gren said, plucking at her zither as she walked behind Azriel.

"Oh, cool. Never heard of a Drow before. I like you, you're interesting" Azriel smiled as she followed along gracefully behind Dax. "What's your name? Should I just call you Drow?"

Dax stopped and turned back to the woman "I'd rather you don't call me Drow. My name's Dax" he frowned, looking from Azriel and then to Gren "Have you ever seen a Drow woman, taller than me with long white hair, orange eyes and gray skin darker than mine?" he questioned. "She might have had a scar like this" he pointed to the slave branding on his face. It was a vague description, but it's all he could remember of his mother's appearance from when he last saw her over ninety years prior.

"Don't ring a bell, sorry" Gren replied "Lost your girlfriend, have ya?" she plucked again at her zither.

"She's my mother. She was taken by orc slavers, and I'm going to find and kill them" Dax said bluntly, turning and walking away again. "Really, why are you following me?"

"Because we can…" Gren sighed, continuing her music as Azriel hummed along

"I told you, I'm following Gren" Azriel smiled, pointing to Gren behind her while humming to the gnome's music. "We're just travelling around together. Nowhere in particular. How about you?"

"So, you're just lost and I'm leading you out of the forest?" Dax questioned, looking back to see Gren shrug. "Whatever, do what you want" he sighed. After a few hours of walking, they came to the edge of the forest, where they found a lake. There was a small pathway across it, and on the other side was the edge of a road running north to south. As they crossed the lake they found a wooden post with three signs on it. One pointed south and read 'Kront', while the others pointed north reading 'N'Jast' and 'Jiyyd'. After a moment's pause, he headed north.

**The Troubles of Jiyyd**

As the group finally arrived in Jiyyd, they found the town in a panic. Dax walked through the streets, instinctively pulling his hood lower over his head, glancing around at the townsfolk. He kept moving, never stopping for more than a few seconds, but he halted, spinning in place when he felt a hand tug at his cloak. He looked down at Gren who had stopped him to see her pointing at a nearby building "If you want to find information, taverns are the best place to do it" she told him tugging as she walked toward the entrance, releasing him after he started to follow. Upon entering, the smell of cooked meats and alcohol struck him. He looked around the room. It was a large two-story building, with nearly a dozen tables, most of which were in use. "Barkeeps tend to hear a lot from travelers, or if you feel like being nosey, you can simply just listen in on conversations."

Dax opted to listen to what the others in the tavern were saying, so he made his way to a table in the corner and sat down, watching as Azriel joined him. He heard Gren ordering herself a drink at the bar, before joining them. He sat quietly, focusing on the conversations around him, but looked up as a human approached their table

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for help and you look sufficiently equipped" the man said. "Sorry, manners. My name is Simon. Jiyyd has had some problems with local wildlife in the forest to the south, much larger than normal. Our livestock is being slaughtered by creatures that would normally remain away from the town, and the people look to me for answers. I only just saw you arrive, but by your look you seem to be a hunter of sorts" he spoke quickly, staring at Dax. "Please will you investigate the matter? I can pay you"

Dax had been caught off guard by this request. He was used to people avoiding him, but he'd never had someone seek him out like this, however he saw an opportunity in the situation. "I don't care about money, but I'm in need of information" he replied, seeing curiosity on the man's face now. "I like money" Gren spoke out, though Dax ignored her. He pointed to the scar on his face "I'm looking for any signs or information on orcs, especially any with this mark"

"Orcs? I can help you with that" Simon replied, excitement in his voice at having found Dax to be interested in his request. He paused briefly seeing Dax look hopeful "sorry, I mean…I can't help you, but there is a man, Jared. He's a merchant who runs a trade caravan back and forth to nearby towns and villages. He recently spoke of caravans being raided recently by a group of orcs. He should be coming into Jiyyd in a few days with his own caravan. I'm not familiar with that mark, but maybe he can help you." The man looked at the group with excitement "If you agree to help Jiyyd, I will introduce you to Jared when he gets here, and I will give you some gold should you find whatever is causing this."

"Done" Dax said, getting to his feet and turning toward the exit "I'll find what you seek. Just hold up your end of the deal" he left the tavern, Azriel and Gren following after him

"We're going already? I didn't even get a drink yet" Azriel sighed "We could at least rest a bit, right?"

"You can do what you want. I'm not stopping you" Dax walked quickly toward the western gate in the town and turned to the south, making his way off the road toward the Forest of Dunwood.

He glanced back occasionally to see the women following. He found himself curious as to what they could do. He sensed some sort of magic in Gren's music, but most magics were unfamiliar to him. He could use basic forms of it through the magical essence of nature, but even that was simply minor feats. Azriel, however, was an anomaly to him. He figured she was a practitioner of magic as she carried no weapons, but at first glance he also assumed she was someone who was weak and just following those who could protect her. He looked toward the sky one last time as they reached the edge of the forest, watching as the sun was beginning to set.

They walked for hours, Dax following trails and tracks made by creatures of varying sizes. He would occasionally stop for minutes at a time, studying and feeling the ground for clues. A few times they even encountered some of the different creatures Simon had talked about, and they were always in groups. First a group of two massive deer. These had been easy targets. Dax was precise enough with his bow that he had taken both down before they had a chance to react. The second encounter was with a group of large badgers. Dax had once again dealt with them before they could close in on the group. Each time a creature was slain, it shrunk immediately to its normal size. "Some kind of magic?" he asked the women.

Gren looked the creatures over, waving her hand and speaking in her native gnomish language as she cast a spell "Nothing magical about them. Something caused them to grow unnaturally, but it certainly wasn't magic" She spun toward Dax as a snap sounded from the trees above him and she heard him shout in pain. She watched as a massive spider had dropped from the trees above directly on top of the Half-Drow.

Dax, forced to the ground under the massive spider felt a jab in his side as the spider had stabbed him with a stinger of some kind. He grimaced in pain as he pulled a dagger from his belt and shoved the blade into the side of the spider, unable to move from under it. He heard strange whispers and looked over to Gren as she waved her hand through the air, whispering a strange melody. The spider screeched in agony, quickly moving off Dax and charged at Gren. Dax got to his knees and pulled an arrow from his quiver, firing it at the spider, but the shot missed as he slumped back to the ground, blood oozing from his side. As the spider was within a few feet of Gren, he saw a bright blue ball of crackling light form in Azriel's hand, which she shot at the spider. The ball struck the spider which dropped to the ground, flipping and screeching around for several seconds before it finally went still.

Feeling he was moments away from losing consciousness, he watched Gren run to his side and placing her hands over his wound. A soft green energy glowed over it as it quickly mended, and he felt his life returning to him. "Thanks…" he said quietly as he got to his feet and leaned against a nearby tree. "Impressive" he looked to Azriel, who giggled innocently. They all looked to the spider as it began to shrink like the other creatures they had encountered.

"I don't get it. What could cause this other than magic?" Gren questioned. She turned back to find Dax already walking away "Oi, you should rest. Just because I healed that doesn't mean you're well enough to move on." She sighed as he ignored her and started to follow him "Let's go, Az."

They continued for a few more hours as Dax followed more tracks, eventually coming across a set of small humanoid foot prints. They followed them for several minutes before coming to a large stone wall near an old ruin. Against the wall stood several large tree branches, forming what looked like a small makeshift hut. As they peeked inside they found a large cave. A strong pungent smell hit them as they glanced around the cave. Several long tables only a few feet high off the floor stood around the room, dozens of glass vials and bottles full of various colored liquids sitting on them. At the back of the cave, in front of another single table stood a male gnome in a dirty looking coat. "Who's there? Come in, come in! I've not had company in ages. Please, come in!" they heard him call out in excitement.

Without hesitation, Gren and Azriel both entered the cave. Azriel walked curiously around the left side of the room, picking up and glancing at several different vials of liquids while Gren approached the gnome. Dax remained outside, watching from around the corner of the doorway. The gnome smiled brightly upon seeing Gren and threw his arms up in the air in excitement "Oh, a gnome! So lovely! I'm Orbie! I'm so glad you could join me!" he exclaimed and picked up a bottle of clear liquid from his table and held it out to her "Here, drink this. Please!" Gren looked at the bottle for a few seconds and took it from his hands before throwing it onto the ground, the glass shattering as the liquid splashed across their feet "What? Why would you do such a horrible thing?" he turned to Azriel as she picked up a bright orange liquid filled vial "Oh, yes that one. Drink that one! You'll love it!"

"I hate orange" Azriel frowned, throwing it and several similar bottles onto the ground, shattering them. "Like, I really hate orange…"

"Stop!" Orbie shouted in anger "How dare you destroy my work? Do it again and I'll kill you both!" Hearing the gnome's threat, Dax stepped into the entrance, firing an arrow across the cave. Orbie let out a howl of pain as the arrow struck him in the shoulder. He ripped it from his body and drank a potion held in his hand, which had a liquid with a small red bead that grew and shrunk repeatedly. After drinking it, his form grew much larger until he towered over them. He then grabbed two vials from his table "ENOUGH!" he shouted, putting the bottles to his mouth one after another. The first bottle had an orange flickering liquid that let off a faint smoke. The other bottle had appeared empty. Almost instantly he vanished from sight "You won't destroy my precious work. Die!" Without warning fire erupted from the empty space, blasting across the room and striking Azriel.

Dax watched as Azriel was blasted back into the wall, her robes singed from the fire as she fell unconscious to the ground. Another blast of fire shot at him, which he dodged behind a table to avoid. He grabbed a large bottle of thick black liquid from the table and threw it where he had seen the fire appear from, watching the bottle shatter, covering the empty space with black liquid. He followed up by firing another arrow, which pierced into the black space as Gren waved both arms through the air before a massive wave of electrical energy erupted from her hands at the gnome, who crashed into the tables beside him. Orbie looked up at them in pain, blood running from his mouth as he pointed to a shelf covered in red potions "Please…healing…"

Gren grabbed one of the red potions, pouring it into Orbie's mouth and watched as his wounds healed before restraining him. Dax grabbed another identical potion and took it to Azriel, pouring it into her mouth, watching her stir awake moments later. "No! My work! I only wanted to make everything bigger! We're all too small for the world. Everything must grow!" he began shouting. After resting for several minutes, they quickly scavenged the cave, taking several red healing potions and a strange bag of beans, which each weighed several pounds. Dax also found several vials of a black, poison-looking liquid which he put into his belt pouch. Finally, the group set out to return to Jiyyd with Orbie, having found he'd been using potions he'd created to cause the forest creatures to grow larger and more violent.

**The Paladin, The Bean and The Bulette**

Orbie had been returned to Jiyyd and was taken before the townspeople. The people called for his execution, and within a day he was dead, and the people began working to resupply their town and lost livestock. Dax and the others sat in the tavern, Gren and Azriel drinking from large goblets, having waited several hours before Simon finally entered, followed by a tall black-haired man. Both men approached them quickly "as promised, the remainder of my promised payment" Simon smiled, placing a small sack on the table which clanged from the sound of the coin inside it "and this is Jared, the man I spoke of. I wish I could do more, but I must see to other matters. Thank you" he bowed to them before leaving.

"I hear you are looking for information on orcs, and I can definitely help you there" Jared spoke immediately, sitting down at the table. "Over the past few months several caravans have attempted to travel northwest to Peltarch to make trades for supplies. None ever made it to their destinations. We sent scouts and found they had been raided by a group of orcs. Peltarch is a large trade town, and we need to find a means of getting there" he said, looking around the group "I can't offer much coin in payment, but I was hoping to hire the three of you to help escort my caravan. If you are searching for orcs, I can almost assure you will encounter some if you go with us"

This was an easy decision for Dax. He would have followed the caravan even if Jared had not offered to hire him. "I won't speak for the others, but I will go with you" he said, glancing past Jared as he saw a large man at a table across the room watching them. He was massive in comparison to Dax, with long wild dark gray hair with small hints of blue in it. His eyes were icy blue and his skin bluish gray and extremely muscular. He was wearing chainmail and leaning against his table was a large flail and a heavy shield bearing a symbol of balanced scales resting on a Warhammer. Dax watched the man who was trying to listen to their conversation while attempting to do so without being noticed, something he clearly was not good at.

"We'll go too. Nothing else to do" Gren spoke up and looked across the room. She too had noticed the large man, but unlike Dax she had no issue making a scene "Oi, big man. If you're going to eavesdrop, at least try being a bit more discrete" she shouted, pouring the remainder of her drink down her throat "What do you want?"

Azriel who had not previously noticed, now looked at the man and leaned in nervously toward Gren "Please don't make him angry. He looks like he could crush you with one finger"

The large man got to his feet, picking up his weapon and shield and approached them, his armor clanking as he moved "I am Bulvein, Paladin of Tyr. I meant no offense in listening, but I wish to aid your quest. If the orcs you speak of wish to cause harm to others, I will bring justice down on them"

"Of course, I welcome your help!" Jared smiled in excitement. "Thank you all. I must begin preparing the caravan. We will leave at sunrise tomorrow" he got to his feet and left quickly

"I'm camped a short distance outside of the eastern gate. I will meet you at the caravan in the morning" Bulvein said to the group before leaving the tavern, his heavy footsteps clanking on the wooden floor as he walked.

Several hours later, Dax and the women sat around a small fire nearly a hundred feet outside the eastern gates, and a few hundred feet further away they could see where Bulvein was camped. Dax held one of the beans they'd found in Orbie's cave in his hand. It was tiny but heavy and he was intrigued by this. They had taken the beans to a wizard they'd found in Jiyyd who told them the beans were magical. Planting them would cause something to grow from it, though he could not tell them what that might be. Dax looked at the bean for several minutes before giving in to his curiosity, burying it in the dirt beside him. After several seconds the ground around them started to shake softly, and then violently as a massive armored creature burst from the ground. At first glance it looked like a cross between an armadillo and a snapping turtle with a large shark-like fin on its back, but much larger.

Dax, Gren and Azriel jumped back in surprise as the creature spun around in place several times before turning in their direction and letting out a bellowing roar. "Was that supposed to happen?" Azriel questioned as Dax grabbed her by the arm and started running as fast as he could toward the eastern gate. He saw Bulvein had started running toward them, but he was still too far away to be of any immediate help. Dax turned briefly, raising his bow and firing an arrow at the beast which shattered across it's armored body.

"Damn it, Drow!" Gren shouted as she ran after them, struggling to keep up. They heard horns blowing from the town and watched several members of the militia run through the gate, firing bolts from their crossbows. A few struck the beast but seemed mostly ineffective while others simply shattered upon impact. Gren waved her arm as the beast grew closer to them and the sound of a massive invisible explosion erupted from behind it, causing it to stop and turn toward the sound. After a few seconds the beast dug into the ground with incredible speed, vanishing from sight. The ground began to shake again as it sped toward them underground, however instead of going after them it turned toward the guards who had struck it with their crossbow bolts.

"It's a Bulette, get off the ground!" Gren shouted from behind them. She'd heard tales of the terrible creature but had never seen one before. Dax stopped about fifty feet away from the gate as he watched the guards scrambling to climb up onto the wall. He looked to Gren and Azriel as he pulled an arrow from his quiver, watching as the slightly visible fin from the back of the creature moving above the ground toward the guards "Hit it as soon as it comes up" he said, pulling an arrow back on his bow. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bulvein nearing the gate. Moments later the beast erupted from the ground beneath one of the guards, swallowing him whole. Dax released his arrow as he saw a crackling blue energy from Azriel fly at the creature, and a whispered melody from Gren. His arrow and Azriel's spell struck the beast, which twisted in pain from Gren's magic as Bulvein rushed to it, slamming his flail with a massive swing, splitting the creatures armored hide, killing it with his strike.

"What the hell is this and where'd it come from?" one of the guards shouted as everyone looked at Dax for answers, who shrugged feigning innocence. "Thanks for your help again. We'll double our guard and make sure nothing else gets in" another of the guards spoke and began ordering the others.

Dax and the others quickly moved away from the gate and back to their camp, leaving Bulvein with the guards in confusion "Well, at least now we know the beans can be dangerous…" Gren sighed as they returned to their camp for the night.

**The Raiders and The Death Cat**

The next morning, they made their way to meet with Bulvein and Jared at the western gate. On their way they saw the corpse of the Bulette had been removed from the town, and several of the townspeople had left flowers as a memorial for the guard who had been killed. Dax walked past with little hesitation, but Gren passed at a slow pace and Azriel stopped for a few seconds before following the others once more. Jared and Bulvein were waiting when they arrived at the caravan. There were six large wagons, two horses fixed to each. "We're planning two days travel from here to Peltarch, a day or two to make trades and then we'll return to Jiyyd. Owlbears and other wild creatures are somewhat common at night. If we're lucky, they'll be the worst of our concern. As much as you're hoping to find orcs, I'd much rather avoid that scenario altogether" Jared spoke to the group, and the other caravan members. After everything was ready, they set off on their journey.

As the hours passed they found no signs of orcs and little wildlife. Occasionally they saw small groups of deer through the fields. The sun had begun to set as they reached their first checkpoint. The wagons pulled into a large enclosed circle, the members of the caravan setting up camp with it. They got a small fire started as the sun disappeared and the moon sat in the sky, its light giving a faint illumination to the field around them. Dax moved slowly around the encampment as they set up, examining the ground carefully as Jared watched him curiously. "What is it?" he questioned.

"Tracks. A day old maybe" Dax replied, moving outside of the circle of wagons toward the west. "They're humanoid, large enough to be orc, but I can't be certain" he said, following the tracks several feet away from the wagons, Jared close behind him.

"You can't be certain, but I think it's clear you're hoping it is" Jared said.

"I feel like I've never hidden my feelings on that" Dax said turning back to him, seeing Gren, Azriel and Bulvein approaching them "I'm going to follow these tracks. Stay and protect the caravan. Do something flashy if you need my attention" he turned back to the west without giving them a chance to respond and moved quickly through the field, using his natural darkvision to watch the tracks as he moved. He followed the tracks to the edge of the forest to the west and looked back toward the caravan. It was about a hundred and fifty feet away. He stepped into the forest, following the tracks deeper in. After half an hour he saw several canvas tents set up in a small clearing. Slowly he approached and found the camp empty. A burned-out fire pit, still hot. He looked through the tents and supplies. It was clear to him this was an orc camp and it had been used recently. He found tracks moving back in the direction he had come from, but further south of the path he had taken. Slowly he followed those tracks and after another half hour he saw the orcs at the tree line, watching the caravan with great interest. He moved further north of the orcs along the tree line and looked to the caravan. They clearly had no clue the orcs were watching. He pulled his longbow from over his shoulder and pulled an arrow. He aimed toward the caravan and fired. After a pause he heard the faint sound of his arrow striking the side of a wagon and watched as Gren and Bulvein stepped around to inspect the sound. He watched as nearly a dozen large orcs moved from the trees toward the caravan. After they were twenty feet out from the trees he held his hand out and focused, a small flickering light began pulsing in midair in front of them, causing them to stop momentarily in confusion before going into a full charge. Dax heard Bulvein shout a battle cry alerting the caravan and Dax pulled out another arrow, focusing on the bit of nature magic he was capable of into it and fired. He watched as the arrow struck an orc in the middle of the group and shattered into several pieces, each fragment shooting outward striking the others around it causing several to stumble briefly. "I'M GOING TO KILL ALL OF YOU" he bellowed in their Orcish language from behind them. They turned around, both in fear and confusion from having been attacked and shouted at by something they couldn't see as Gren, Azriel, Bulvein and the members of the caravan charged the group that now had their backs turned to them and within seconds had killed most of them. Dax ran quickly before all the orcs could be killed and made sure two were still alive. He leaned in toward the first of the two and pulled his hood back, creating another small flickering light by his face illuminating it for the orcs to see "Do you know this mark?" he questioned in their language. Gren, Azriel and the humans in the caravan looked in confusion, unaware of what Dax was saying, but Bulvein's eyes were locked on him, comprehending every word he said

"No. I do not know the mark" one orc replied, watching as Dax pulled out his jet-black sickle. "That blade…" the orc called out in instant fear "Death Blade" he started shaking his head back and forth.

"Death Blade? Never heard it called that. Seems fitting" Dax smiled, pressing the blade to the orc's throat "What do you know?" he demanded.

"The Death Blade Clan…" the orc replied. "The most feared of orc clans."

"Where can I find them?" Dax demanded.

"We do not know. They tell no one where their camps are" the orc replied terrified.

"Thanks" Dax smiled, running the blade across the orc's throat. He turned to the other and held the blade out "Tell me what I want to know, and I'll make this painless."

"He told you already, nobody knows" the orc laughed. Unlike the previous, this one was not afraid. His laughter echoed loudly across the field as he began to speak, no longer in Orcish, but now in Common so everyone could understand. "Fool, you will all die. You and your pathetic town. Soon you'll all die. The ritual will finish and Dan'ark will rise. Grummsh will soon have his champion. Grummsh, greatest of the Gods. With the ritual, Dan'ark will lead the Death Cats to destroy all who would oppose our God! Go find him if you dare. At the base of the Giantspire you will find your death. The clans gather, and soon all will perish!" the orc laughed in excitement.

Growing tired of the orc, Dax ran the sickle across it's throat, watching as it bled out in the field with the rest of the fallen orcs. He turned as Jared approached him "This is terrible news. We have no choice now but to return to Jiyyd. If orcs are gathering multiple clans, no good can come of this. Jiyyd must be warned."

"Go back and warn them. We'll go investigate this Dan'ark and his clans. We'll come back to Jiyyd with any information that might help. Jared nodded and began to pack up their caravans to make the journey back to Jiyyd. He left two horses for the group, unable to spare more and headed back toward the town. Dax and the others made their way southwest toward the Giantspire Mountains.

Even with horses it was a long ride, especially with only two horses. Bulvein and Gren took the largest horse, leaving the other to Dax and Azriel. They rode with little pause for several hours, but stopped at a small farm, having seen smoke rising from it from nearly a mile off. Upon arriving at the farm, they found it in ruins. The home and small bit of land was burning, and worse, they found the family they assumed had owned it slaughtered, the bodies torn apart and left in the open for any wanderers to find. The sight was too familiar to Dax. He recalled his childhood home and the sight of the people he'd known slaughtered. He watched as Bulvein got off his horse and approached the bodies. He slammed his shield into the ground and dropped to his knees. His body began to glow with a radiant aura of light as he spoke "I swear by the God, Tyr, I will seek vengeance on those who did this, and would harm others in such a way. You will have justice" he proclaimed angrily. The light faded slowly as he got to his feet. The group gathered the bodies and buried them best they could before returning to their horses and continuing their journey.

After a few more hours, they found a small forest at the base of the mountain. They tied the horses up and went into the trees on foot. Dax had no tracks to follow, so they decided to go straight in. After nearly an hour they found a large wall built into the mountain. Beyond it they heard the loud sounds of countless orcs. Constant cries of "Dan'ark" and "Death Cats" could be heard. They climbed the rocks at the base of the wall and investigated the massive encampment and watched the orcs gathering. This was indeed an army in the making, and without decent preparation, Jiyyd would never stand a chance. As they prepared to leave for Jiyyd they saw a large caged cart lead by a robed orc with a long staff. In the cage was a panther, as dark as a night sky. It was being pulled out of the camp and into the forest.

Dax and the others followed from a distance, watching the robed orc. After several minutes the cart stopped at a small camp with a single tent and several torches circling the cage. The orc began muttering what sounded like a spell and Dax quickly fired an arrow as Bulvein charged in. Gren and Azriel began casting their own spells at the few orc grunts who had pulled the cage. Dax's arrow struck the robed orc, who reacted quickly by flinging his arm toward them, a black energy firing from his hand in their direction. As they threw themselves out of the way the orc transformed into a giant raven and flew into the sky above the trees, quickly retreating to the large encampment. After quickly dispatching of the grunts, the group approached the caged panther. "Bulvein, can you bust the lock?" he questioned the large man, who without question smashed the lock with the pommel of his flail. Dax pulled the door to the cage open and the panther lept out of it and circled him several times.

The panther was covered in scars, but otherwise looked perfectly healthy. Dax ran his hand across its fur and knelt down beside it "I'm going to kill these orcs who did this to you. Will you join me?" he questioned it, focusing his nature magic as he attempted to commune with the beast as best he could. The panther turned to face him and pressed its forehead against his and purred loudly "Good. Let's go then, Zadira. That'll be your name." He got to his feet and turned to walk away as the panther growled and snarled. Dax turned back to find Gren having had just jumped onto the back of Zadira, as if attempting to ride him. The panther spun, throwing the tiny woman off its back and swiped its claws across her face, leaving three deep cuts diagonally across her face. "What the hell?" he questioned.

"It's big enough I could ride it. Damn thing" Gren grumbled, pressing her hand to her face, green light glowing on her face as the blood pulled back into her wound, leaving three deep scars in its place. Dax turned and walked away, Gren looking to the Panther and flipping it off as she followed behind, the group making its way back to the horses. After finding the horses again, they set out for Jiyyd to warn of the army that would soon be making its way for the town.

**The Siege of Jiyyd**

The group returned to Jiyyd to find the town in a panic. The townspeople swarmed them as they entered the town, making it difficult for them to find Jared and Simon. After locating them, they passed on everything they had seen at the orc encampment. "This news is far worse than we'd expected" Simon looked around at the town nervously. "Our numbers will be significantly lower than the orcs. We must think carefully on how we can defend the town. Perhaps we can get reinforcements from N'Jast as well"

"Why not just run?" Azriel questioned "You could save everyone that way".

"If there is even but a small chance to save Jiyyd, we must do so. This is a major trade route and losing it would hurt thousands across the country" Jared replied, "I will send my fastest rider to N'Jast for aid immediately" he turned and left quickly.

"Will you stay and fight with us?" Simon questioned the group.

"I will" Dax replied and Bulvein spoke the same, Gren and Azriel also agreeing after several seconds pause.

"Thank you all so much. I must see to the townspeople and make sure those who can't fight get to safety. Please, do what you can to help with preparations" Simon responded gratefully, but still nervous as to what they were really going to be able to do. He bowed to them and left to see to his preparations.

The group moved through the town, discussing what they could use and how best to prepare for a battle. Dax stopped near the western gate, looking at the large wooden wall that surrounded the town. They climbed a set of stairs on the inside of the wall and stopped on top of it, looking out at the long road and wide-open fields to the west and north. Several hundred feet to the south of the walls was the large forest. "We'll definitely need to put as many archers up here as we can fit. Cover will be limited, so we're very likely to suffer heavy casualties, but we should be able to take out a large number ourselves before they can get close enough" he said, looking over the edge of the wall above the gate as Gren climbed onto the ledge and pointed down at the ground

"Maybe we can set up traps of some kind, a pit maybe? I saw several oil barrels in the caravan. We can burn anyone who gets close enough to the wall" Gren spoke

"I will be useless until any of them breach the gate, which they will eventually" Bulvein added. "The town guards are not well armored, and their weapons are not strong, but we can try to confine the enemy to a small space as they push in." Their planning went on for hours as they thought and guessed how the enemy might strike. Dax was very familiar with orcs, but even his knowledge of their battle strategies was limited to simple raiding.

After two days, Jared's rider returned with news of reinforcements from N'Jast. It would take a few days, but a hundred soldiers were already on their way, with more following soon after, however there were currently a few hundred men and women, moderately armored making ready for the coming war. The sound of loud drums could be heard echoing in the far-off distance as the sun set on the second night, hundreds of fiery torches making the incoming army's presence visible. Dax stood atop the wall with dozens of archers. Looking as if it would be several hours still before the orc's arrival, everyone took this final chance to rest before the battle would begin. During the night as the orcs grew ever closer, the first wave of reinforcements arrived. Those armed with bows and crossbows gathered atop the wall above and near the west gate with Dax and Gren, and the north-west gate with Azriel, while the ground fighters gathered within the gates with Bulvein. Dax's panther, Zadira, sat beside Bulvein growling quietly every few minutes as the sound of drums grew louder. Those on the wall watched as the orcs finally arrived. Their loud footsteps halted as the echoing war drums continued throughout the masses of the army. Dax looked out at the horde before them. He could only guess at the numbers he could see. Hundreds, maybe even more than a thousand. However, this was not what concerned him most. This was not the full army they had previously seen within the massive orc encampment. Within the encampment there had been orcs under three different banners, and before them he saw only two of those banners being held in the air.

"Damn it, I can't see!" Dax heard Gren complain, watching as the drumming stopped. He pulled an arrow from one of the dozens of quivers fastened to racks on the inside of the upper wall and aimed it forward, glancing around as the other archers did as well. Glancing out onto the battlefield he watched as several orcs raised giant horns, and with a mighty breath in unison their massive sound echoed seemingly in all directions as the army began to charge. "Fire" Dax shouted as all archers on the wall released their arrows, taking another arrow and firing it immediately after. This continued as they watched dozens of orcs fall. Several seemed to lose their footing as they stumbled over their fallen allies, but the majority remained in the charge. As the orcs began to enter within range of the wall, all within the front of the charge began to throw large javelins with great strength, and archers behind them firing their own arrows. The sound of arrows and javelins striking against the wooden wall echoed as Dax watched several of the archers around him were struck. Those who were hit by arrows simply fell lifeless to the ground atop the wall, however the javelins struck their targets with such force that they were thrown backward off the wall, landing within the town. Shouts and roars of anger erupted from within the walls as the ground fighters awaited their time for battle.

As the invading army rushed the west and north-western gates, the ground beneath them gave way as their weight became too great for it to hold. Those from above watched as a few dozen orcs fell through the traps they had dug into the earth. The first to fall were impaled on large spikes that had been planted in the massive holes, while the rest had managed to use the bodies of the fallen as cushioning. However, those found themselves soaked in thick oil. From above, arrows rained down, their tips ignited in flame. The arrows struck the orcs, who bellowed in fury and pain as they all immediately burst into flame, which quickly rose up and out of the holes, spreading across a large portion of the open field where the oil had been spread out. Dax listened to cheers from the arrows continued firing from both sides of the battle, however the orc army was still far greater in number. Another wave of orc horns erupted from the south, and Dax turned, now seeing the missing banners held by a large host stepping out of the forest. Many of them were carrying large barrels. Without hesitation, the new group of orcs charged at the southern side of the wall. Dax shouted this sighting to all who remained as he and Gren ran along the top of the wall moving south. He pulled another arrow from a quiver on the wall, dipping the tip in a nearby torch and fired it out toward the oncoming army, striking one of the barrels, which ignited and exploded, spitting fire and shrapnel at a dozen orcs around it. This happened two more times as other archers had done the same, however the orcs began to use themselves as shields against the arrows, protecting the remaining barrels as they pushed to the wall. Dax and the remaining archers watched helplessly as their arrows failed to strike the remaining barrels, which were pressed against the wall and ignited. With a massive explosion that sounded like thunder, the wall burst open in flames. Bulvein and the ground forces let out a furious battle cry as they charged at the invaders. Dax watched as Gren ran down the ramp on the inside of the wall and began fighting with the ground troops, throwing out waves of electricity which struck numerous enemies at once. Returning to the top of the western gate, he found most of their archers had fallen. Looking toward the other gate, he saw few archers remained there as well, and Azriel stood, waving her arms through the air, her gaze to the sky above. From high in the sky a large platinum dragon appeared, swooping down toward the invading army. It let out no sound and made no attack but flew toward them. Dax watched as they tumbled back in fear, dozens of them running away from the battle, never looking back to see the dragon vanish. He saw Azriel with a grin on her face turn toward the army as a javelin shot past her head, startling her and causing her to lose her footing and fall off the wall. She managed to land in a way that caused no lasting injury, quickly getting to her feet as she heard massive metal weapons slamming into the gate, which broke open as a now significantly smaller force pushed into it, a large number having fled from that side in fear of the dragon. From the east came the loud echo of more horns, as more reinforcements from N'Jast had made their arrival in the battle. They charged the southern invading force on horseback with long spears. Many were struck from their mounts by arrows and javelins, but those that survived charged through the ground ranks of the orcs. While many continued to fight, another large portion of orcs from the south began to flee at the sight of the mounted fighters.

From the wall, Dax looked out at the remainder of the western armies. Nearly two hundred feet away he saw a massive orc in thick leathers. He had deep green skin and long dirty black hair pulled in numerous braids, and a massive axe. This was clearly the chieftain, Dan'ark. "COWARD!" Dax bellowed out in the Orcish language he had learned during his slavery. He pulled back an arrow with all his strength, releasing it. He watched as it struck the ground just short of Dan'ark, who glanced down at the arrow. The large orc took this as a direct challenge and let out a massive roar as he and his remaining forces charged toward the walls. Dax glanced back into the town as the fight raged on. He saw Zadira rushing and pouncing orcs to the ground before moving away as Bulvein's flail swung down to crush them. Gren was stabbing at them with her dagger, using her small body to avoid their attacks, occasionally releasing waves of electricity at them. As the main forces of Dan'ark charged the western gate, he saw Azriel wave her arms through the air as once again a platinum dragon appeared, this time much larger than the last. Gren also saw this and ran to Azriel's side and wove her own hands in the air as a bellowing roar erupted from the illusory dragon as it dove at the orcs, the effects of the two combined spells sending a majority fleeing in terror like the previous dragon had.

Dax turned back to the west, finding Dan'ark. He, along with the robed orc and a small group continued their charge. Dax pulled a small vial of black liquid which he had taken from Orbie's cave from his belt pouch and poured it on the tip of a few arrows, which he placed in his quiver. He ran along the top of the wall, whistling loudly before leaping off to the outside. He heard the loud roar of Zadira as he hit the ground at an angle, rolling to his feet. He ran as fast as he could, pulling one of the arrows from his quiver. He fired the arrow as Zadira quickly passed him, the arrow striking the Dan'ark in the shoulder. He watched as the chieftain, who had been charging at a fast pace began to slow. His grip on his axe lessened as another arrow struck him in the chest. Within seconds, Dan'ark had slowed barely to a jog as Zadira leapt, colliding with him and forcing him hard to his back on the ground. Dax got to the panther's side just as Zadira tore into the orc who was paralyzed from the poisoned arrows. The Half-Drow stood over the chieftain, pulling the black sickle from his belt. He held it in front of Dan'ark, fear forming on his face as he saw the weapon of the Death Blade Orcs in front of him before Dax shoved it through his throat. He gasped as blood gurgled from his mouth before his life left him.

After a few seconds, taking in the sight of what he'd done, Dax looked up as two dozen mounted riders rode past him toward the remaining orcs. He saw the robed orc transform into a raven, flying away quickly once again as the riders slew what orcs remained in their path. "It's done…" he said with a heavy sigh of relief, laying his hand on Zadira's head and scratched the panther who purred loudly. Getting to his feet, he turned to face the town, watching as the remaining orcs retreated into the forest to the south, victorious cheers roaring from within the walls. The walls themselves were broken in many places, and on the southern side fire burned high and hot. Dax ran back through the western gate to find Gren, Azriel and Bulvein in a group with many of the cheering guards they had led to victory. Bulvein's chainmail was dirty and broken in many places, and the women had cuts and tears in their clothing and robes, but they looked widely unhurt. Dax joined them, telling of the fall of Dan'ark and sending several riders east to N'Jast to give word of Jiyyd's victory.

Nearly a week passed, and the wall was still damaged, but repairs were going well. Both gates which had fallen were replaced. Homes and shops had received little damage, but what damage they took had been patched, and families were beginning to return. Dax and the others sat quietly in the tavern, various meats and drinks on their table. They'd had little rest since the battle ended, spending most of their time assisting with repairs. The dead had been buried and a memorial was being created near the center of the town. They looked up as Simon entered the tavern. He approached them with a smile and handed each of them a small pouch, which rattled with the sound of coins. "I promised you gold for helping, and I wish to keep that promise" he said as another man entered the tavern. He was tall, and older in age. He had gray hair and a beard and wore heavy armor, with a shield hanging from his back. "Ah, this is Knight Commander Tarick. He is a Paladin of the Knights of the Holy Judgment. He wanted a word with you" he bowed to the group and exited the tavern to return to the repairs of the town.

"Greetings. I'm Tarick, as Simon already said" Tarick smiled to the group. He looked to Bulvein, eying the large man. "It's been a long time since I've seen a Half-Frost Giant. I wish to speak with you about joining the Order I serve with. I wish also to give you a gift, Dax'livan" he turned to Dax, extending a hand which held a small wooden object. Dax looked at the object in surprise, immediately spotting the symbol on its center which matched that of the scar burned into his face. "This talisman will lead you to the Death Blade Orcs. It grows warmer as you find yourself closer to them. I've also heard they have recently ventured into the Underdark."

"How did you get something like this?" Dax asked, excitement in his voice.

Tarick reached out to his already extended arm with his other and pulled back at his sleeve, revealing the same symbol burned into his forearm "You are not the only one to bear such a scar. I simply took this talisman when my Order destroyed the encampment where I was held as a slave"

"Thank you. This is amazing" Dax exclaimed, quickly getting to his feet, eying the talisman closely. "I have to go" he said and without a word to the others, he turned and ran for the door, only looking back as a young human woman with bright blue hair and eyes, and a white and blue dress bumped into him in the doorway. He glanced back as she apologized and then continued out the door. He went several feet before he realized his money pouch had been taken, but he was too focused on the thought of this talisman helping him to find his mother to care about his gold. He rushed to Simon, asking for the use of a horse. Simon happily gave him the horse and watched as Dax rode east out of Jiyyd, Zadira running along behind. He knew of an entrance to the Underdark. It would take only a few days by horse, and then he'd begin the hunt for the Death Blade Orcs once again.

**Awakening**

Consciousness returned slowly to Dax as his thoughts drifted away from his past and to the present. His eyes remained closed, but he felt a gentle pressure against his forehead. He felt a slight pain pulse through his head that lingered. "Stay calm, Dax'livan. The pain will only last a few seconds" he heard the familiar gentle voice he had heard while in the Underdark speak. His eyes opened slowly as the pain vanished as the woman had said. He remained still as he found himself staring directly into her bright red eyes. His focus remained on her as she pulled her head away from him and he observed the beautiful woman. She was sitting beside him and had been leaned directly over him, her forehead pressed gently against his.

The woman seemed to have understood his look of confusion. She slowly moved to a chair directly beside his bed, letting out a long, exhausted sigh "I was watching your dreams. Your past is quite…interesting" she spoke with a smile "I apologize for not asking first, but you were severely injured, and I was unsure how long you'd remain sleeping. Curiosity got the best of me" she let out a soft chuckle before leaning forward slightly "how are you feeling?" she questioned him

Dax watched the woman quietly, trying to understand what exactly was going on as she spoke. He attempted to push himself, but found himself unable to do so. He looked down at his left arm only to find it mostly missing. All that remained of it was from his shoulder, down to just above where his elbow would have been. "I feel fine" he lied with a frown that gave his thoughts away "Who are you and where am I?"

"My name is Nylaerya Yril'Lysiom, and we're in Jiyyd" she said, ignoring his obvious lie. "What do you remember?"

Dax closed his eyes, thinking about her question. He remembered Jiyyd. He had gone directly to the Underdark from here. He had never expected to return to this town. "I remember being in the Underdark. That monster, I've never seen anything like it. If you hadn't shown up when you had, I'd probably be dead" he said and then hesitated for a moment before speaking again "Th-thank you" he added, sounding as if it was a struggle to say it.

"Oh, you would be dead, without a doubt" Nylaerya said bluntly with a smile. "You were foolish to go there in the first place, especially on your own. If I hadn't been scrying on you while you fought that troll, I never would have been able to fix on it to teleport in while the Beholder was focused on you" she sighed before speaking again "You should probably consider thanking the others as well" she said, motioning to the three others who Dax now noticed were in the room. "I'm sure you remember Knight Commander Tarick. The other two are Ander Bersk, and Olma Basha"

Dax pushed himself up with his remaining arm and slid back on the bed, resting his back against the wall. He looked around the room, taking in the faces of the group that had saved his life. By the door stood both Knight Commander Tarick, whom had given him a talisman that had led him to the Underdark, and Ander Bersk, a tall bald man he'd never met. Sitting on a chair in the corner opposite his bed was Olma Basha, an elderly woman he'd also never met. Leaning against the wall beside her was a long staff, its tip no longer burning as he remembered from the Underdark. "Thanks" he spoke once again with hesitation. "Why did you all come to help me? You could have just let me die"

"What purpose would your death have served, boy?" Tarick questioned. "Nothing", he added, looking down at the Half-Drow. "When I gave you that talisman, I expected you would go with your friends. I am certain they would have gladly assisted you in searching for the orcs who took your mother." The old man ran his hand through his hair, scratching his head in annoyance. He lowered his hand which left off a faint glow briefly "Yet you left them without hesitating. No words of goodbye, nothing. Why?"

"I thought they'd just slow me down" Dax answered without hesitation. He looked at the man in confusion. He answered this man truthfully without even thinking about it, something he would not have normally done. He looked around the room and noticed a faint glowing circle that covered the entirety of the room, and everyone within the room was within it. "What is this?" he questioned.

"It's a Circle of Truth" Nylaerya answered "I wanted to discuss something with you, and I wanted no lies to be spoken" she said, the same smile never leaving her face. "I want you to give up on your murderous quest for vengeance against the Death Blade Orcs, at least for now" she said, raising her hand to stop him as he made to speak up. "Let me finish" she lowered her hand again "If you seek them out now, you will die. Your death will not help anyone, and I do not like having risked my life for yours, only for you to immediately give it away again"

"What do you want from me then?" Dax asked. He looked confused as to why she would even ask him to give up on the only thing that's kept him going for nearly eighty years. "Why am I important to you?"

"Truthfully," Nylaerya began, glancing down at the circle of truth and back to Dax, her eyes meeting his "You aren't important to me, but to my Goddess…" she said, her smile fading slightly "I serve my Goddess, Eilistraee, and when she asks something of me, I will do it without question" she closed her eyes for a few seconds, opening them once more. "She wants you to act for the benefit of others, and not for your own desires. She wishes me to recruit you to her cause, and after she feels you have changed, and feels you are ready and capable, she will provide the means for you to find your mother and accomplish the goals you have." She stood up from her chair, the elderly woman in the corner standing as well. She reached out, smiling once again "Rest, and think about what I've asked" she nodded to Tarick, and watched as the glowing circle in the room faded "You can give me your thoughts tomorrow" she lowered her head, bowing to the Half-Drow before moving to the door. Tarick opened it and they all exited, the door shutting behind them.

Dax sat there quietly for hours, thinking about what Nylaerya had said. Finally, he laid back down and drifted to sleep. He heard a voice in his sleep. He saw nothing, only darkness and a voice. The voice was beautiful, and spoke a language he was unfamiliar with, but he felt as if it was asking him questions. Suddenly from the darkness a form began to appear. It took the shape of a beautiful Drow woman, who towered over him in height. Her skin was a very dark obsidian in color, and her hair a vibrant silver that hung to her feet. She was completely naked, only her long hair and ever-moving silvery radiance cloaking her body. She slowly approached him and knelt before him, reaching her hands out, placing them on his shoulders as she continued speaking the unfamiliar language. She lifted her left hand and moved it, pointing to her left. Dax watched as in the darkness another form began to become slowly visible to him. He let out an inaudible gasp as he saw his mother for the first time since the orc slavers had separated them. He reached out for her briefly before her form faded into darkness again and he felt a hand on his face, turning his gaze back to the nude woman before him. She spoke again, and this time he understood her "Follow me, and I promise you will see her again one day" she smiled, releasing him and fading into the darkness herself.

**A New Beginning**

Dax woke the following morning, a strange sense of calm in him. He moved off the bed, sliding his feet into his boots. He reached up, grasping the remainder of his left arm with his right hand. Looking at the nearby table he found a shirt and a black hooded poncho, nearly identical to the previous one he wore, but this one was in perfect condition. After a few minutes of struggling, he managed to pull the long-sleeved black shirt on, and the poncho over it. Briefly grasping the loose sleeve over his missing arm, he released it and opened the door, stepping through it into a narrow hallway.

At the end of the hallway was a staircase. He stepped down it and through a doorway. He paused as he found himself in a large tavern and was barraged by loud cheers and shouts of "ORCSBANE!" as all the men and women within the large room raised their goblets, cheering the title the town had given him after he and his past allies had saved them from the orc invasion. A hand grasped his shoulder, pulling him further into the room, and he looked up to find Ander Bersk grinning at him. The man shoved a full goblet of ale into his hand "Drink, boy. Looks like yeh could use it" he laughed. Dax hesitantly did as he was told and started drinking, coughing as he spit the drink out. He felt the heavy hand clap him on the back and a roar of laughter "I told Tarick yeh'd be a lightweight. Ah well, can't let it go teh waste" he grinned, taking the cup from Dax and drinking the remaining contents. He grabbed Dax by the shoulder and led him across the room to a table in the corner and pushed him down onto a chair. "Try not teh piss 'er off, kid" he laughed before walking away and out the door.

Dax watched in annoyance as the tall bald man left the tavern before looking across the table to find Nylaerya staring back at him. She was wearing a long white dress with a red shawl over her shoulders, and she was smiling as she stared at him. "Good morning, Dax'livan. Have you considered what I spoke of last night?" she asked. She looked at the boy curiously. He seemed different from when she spoke to him the night before, but she couldn't tell what that difference was.

"Please call me Dax, and before I answer your questions, I want you to answer mine. You clearly know a lot about me, but I know nothing about you" He spoke quietly "Who exactly are you? Where are you from? I've seen a few magic wielders before, but I've never heard of someone who could watch someone else's dreams. How can you do such things?"

"I will try to keep this as short as possible, Dax" Nylaerya replied. "I am a Drow from the Underdark, but like you I am also only Half-Drow. My father was a human slave, and his master was my mother. She was thrilled when I was born a daughter. Drow society is matriarchal, so having me only gave my mother more power in society. It gave me immediate power in society as well, and I made use of that power. As well as having political power, I was also gifted with a rare magic. So much information can be gained when you can see into anyone's dreams, and I had a natural talent for it. The Spider Queen, Lolth, and her priestesses made frequent use of my gift and I was more than happy to help them" as she continued to speak, she never stopped smiling "I loved my power. I felt useful and wanted. I felt important. That feeling only increased when I was given the opportunity at an incredibly young age to join the Priestesses of Lolth. They told me I could join them if I completed a single task, to kill my own father as a sacrifice to the Goddess. I did so without hesitation. Even as he begged, my desire to be more important, to be more powerful increased" she paused for several seconds as her smile finally faded. She adjusted herself in her chair and took a drink from a small cup in front of her before continuing.

"It wasn't long after that sacrifice that I felt myself dying. Not a feeling of physical death, but I felt like something inside of me was dying. A part of me that made me myself, was vanishing" she smiled again, and let out a tiny chuckle "That was when I heard her. My Goddess, Eilistraee. She spoke to me in the moment I thought I would never feel like myself again. She told me that if I gave up who I was, completely, I could start fresh and I could still feel important and wanted, and I could do so while helping people. I could be myself, and people would want me to be around. All I had to do was agree to join her, and she would grant me all of my desires" she drank from her cup again, inhaling the steam rising from it, before exhaling gently. "I said yes, of course. Then I saw her. Her beautiful obsidian skin and long silver hair. Appearing in my dream and kneeling before me as if I was more important than she ever was. I felt shame. For all the power I had and the desire to be important. Her kneeling before me left me feeling as if I was the smallest, most pathetic creature in the world. I could do nothing but cry, and she embraced me. It was then that I woke up, and I found she had taken me from my home and brought me to a monastery with others who had dedicated their lives to her. I joined her, and she gave me everything I ever desired, as she had sworn she would" she inhaled the steam from her cup, exhaling once more. She sat quietly as she was remembering how she felt when she had seen Eilistraee, and she suddenly knew why Dax seemed different to her since the previous night and she laughed "I assume you already had made up your mind before I told you all of this?"

Dax nodded. He had listened intently to every word she spoke. It wasn't difficult really; her voice was such that he felt she could speak utter nonsense and he would be happy to hear her speak it. However, he had truly listened to her story and knew that if Eilistraee could help someone with a past as dark as Nylaerya, then perhaps this Goddess could keep such a promise as what she'd made with him. "I cannot promise to stop looking for leads on my mother, however I will join you as you have asked" he spoke. "If this Goddess can help me, I will follow her as long as she keeps her promise to me"

Nylaerya's smile grew brighter than before and she got to her feet and bowed to him. "Thank you" she said as he got to his feet and she led him out of the tavern into the sunlight. She pulled the hood of her red shawl over her head and stopped briefly as the bright light hit her eyes, allowing them time to adjust to the brightness. She looked over, laughing to herself as Dax had immediately done the same with his own black hood. Sunlight didn't strain their vision like it would with pure-blooded Drow who lived in the Underdark their whole lives, but it was still a nuisance at times. "Would you allow me to ask one final favor of you, Dax?" she questioned as he looked at her with interest "I would like for you to allow me to remove this scar from your face. It is a symbol of the darkest time in your past, and I feel you should leave the past behind as I have, and look only toward the future" she smiled as he stood silent for several seconds before nodding. She reached out with her hand, gently running her fingers across the branded scar on his face before placing her hand gently over the mark. A warm light formed around her hand and absorbed into his face, and a few moments later she pulled her hand away with a smile "done."

Out of habit Dax started to raise his missing left arm. With a sigh, he reached up with his right hand and ran his fingers across his now smooth skin. It had been eighty-five years since he'd been given that brand from his slavers. He'd never imagined he would ever be without it again. "Thank you" he smiled and followed Nylaerya, as she led him to a nearby blacksmithing shop where outside they found the elderly woman, Olma Basha, sitting on a bench humming to herself.

"Good to see you on your feet, young man" she smiled at Dax. She slowly got to her feet and turned to face Nylaerya, using her staff to hold herself up "Tarick is waiting for you both inside. Ander is preparing the caravan to Baldur's Gate. He says it will soon be ready."

"Thank you, Madam Olma. I am most grateful for your assistance" Nylaerya bowed and led Dax into the shop. Upon entering, they found Tarick, looking over dozens of weapons on shelves and racks, muttering to himself about their various qualities "Good morning, Commander" she smiled as the old paladin turned to face them

"Good morning, both of you" Tarick smiled at them both. "It's good to see you up and moving, Dax'livan. I'm sure it will take some time, but I would be happy to help if you learn to fight with different smaller weapons. They'll be much different from a bow and arrow, but no less effective" he spoke and turned toward the counter as a dirty looking man appeared from a back room behind it "Ah, is it finished?" he questioned the man

"Yes, good sir" the blacksmith smiled and nodded to the three of them. "Here is your Holy Symbol, ma'am" he said, handing a small talisman-like object to Nylaerya. "I completed the dagger you requested. The musical aspect was difficult, but I think I managed to get it just right." He handed the dagger across the counter and grinned "I would like to offer this at no charge. Young 'Orcsbane' here is one of the heroes who saved this town. I would feel terrible if I charged you for such a request."

Dax was pushed forward toward the counter by Tarick. He reached out, accepting the dagger. It was easily recognizable to him as having been forged from the shards of his shattered sickle, however the most notable aspect to it was the handle looked as if it could also act as an ocarina. The hilt was jet-black in color, exactly like the sickle shards had been, and the hilt extended out further toward the end of the blade, which also had a few small holes in it. The blade itself was silver in color, with small bits of gold spread throughout, and was forged around the extended hilt. Wrapped in a thin blackened leather, the hilt had three finger holes in it, each side-by-side, and the guard had a small opening in it to act as the mouthpiece for creating music. On the side of the weapon, between the hilt and the blade itself was a small intricately carved image in silver of the nude form of Eilistraee, dancing before a full moon, her long silver hair flowing around her body. It was the same image that was on the talisman the blacksmith had returned to Nylaerya. Dax spun the blade around in his hand, feeling the weight and smiled, placing it in his belt "Thanks. I'm not familiar with musical instruments, but I'll try to make good use of it." He was led back out of the shop and to the caravan waiting for them. "I heard the old lady mention Baldur's Gate. What's there?" he asked.

"Most of the others in the caravan will leave us before we reach Baldur's Gate. For us, we'll be going there mostly to make use of the library. There is a lot you need to learn, especially about Eilistraee" Nylaerya said, laughing as Dax let out a heavy sigh when she mentioned him having to learn "It won't be all bad. I'm sure you can find some fighting instructors as well. It'll likely take you some time to get used to fighting with one arm, but I have faith you'll be a quick learner" she motioned to the caravan. "If you are ready, we'll get moving" she climbed onto the wagon, sitting next to Olma, holding a hand out to Dax, helping him up onto the wagon with them. She watched as Tarick and Ander mounted their own horses, each riding on opposite sides of the caravan with the other wagons, each with their own guards and riders, as the caravan started moving, headed west for the country of Damara.

25


End file.
